Tag Archives: the outfit

Pic of the Day: “The Outfit” revisited

Posted by Marisa on

And we’re back! Today we celebrate the 114th birthday anniversary of a true Hollywood legend. The great Robert Ryan appeared in two films with Timothy, Alaska Seas (1954) and The Outfit (1973). Here are the two of them from that latter film, directed by John Flynn. Tim’s nasty thug Jake Menner gets a dressing-down from his boss, Mailer (Ryan). Variety columnist Army Archerd appears in a sly cameo as Mailer’s butler.

The Outfit

Ryan, born in Chicago, was a gentle and compassionate man off-screen, belying his often cruel tough-guy cinematic persona. His politics were decidedly left of center, and he actively supported many civil rights and pacifist causes. He was, in fact, a co-founder of SANE, the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy. He once said, referring to the notorious Senator Joseph McCarthy, “I was involved in the things he was throwing rocks at but I was never a target. Looking back, I suspect my Irish name, my being a Catholic and an ex-Marine sort of softened the blow.”

Video of the Week: “The Outfit”

Posted by Marisa on

This week we present Timothy’s first and most important scene in John Flynn‘s The Outfit (1973). Robert Duvall  runs the show here, with the late great Karen Black briefly glimpsed at the end.

Lean, mean and no-nonsense. If you haven’t seen this one yet, you’re missing out.

Karen Black 1939 – 2013

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The news of Karen Black’s death yesterday, after a long bout with ampullary cancer, came as a sad surprise. She was truly a unique and unforgettable screen presence. She and Timothy appeared in only one film together, John Flynn’s The Outfit (1973). They had no scenes together, but they both appear in this trailer for the film, so I’ve chosen to re-post that today.

This “rangy, imperfect beauty” leaves behind an amazing legacy and scores of saddened fans and friends. Peaceful rest, Karen, and thank you for sharing your gifts with us.

Pic of the Day: “The Outfit” revisited

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It’s Tax Day, hooray! This publicity still from John Flynn‘s The Outfit (1973) may be expressing what many of us are feeling today. “How much more do you want, IRS? How much more??”

The Outfit

Timothy puts all quirks aside and plays it dead straight here as Jake Menner, one of the nastiest thugs you’ll ever meet. The Outfit is a fabulous film that deserves a wider audience. It’s out on video so do yourself a huge favor and see it today!

Pic of the Day: “Alaska Seas” revisited

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Today we take another look at Alaska Seas (1954), the nautical adventure directed by Jerry Hopper. Fisherman Matt Kelly (Robert Ryan) has come to claim his boat from repairman Wycoff, who claims that Kelly owes him $920.60 and is very unhappy when Kelly offers him a fraction of that.

Alaska Seas

Wycoff comes across as quite a bit older than the 24 Timothy was when he made the film. He and Ryan worked together again in The Outfit (1973). Tim told Grover Lewis, “I did a show with Bob Ryan once – he was great, but he wouldn’t allow a lot of takes. ‘This is it,’ he’d say.” Alaska Seas is still available on Netflix Streaming, so give it a gander.

Quote of the Week

Posted by Marisa on

This is from the extras (Film Noir Web, disc 2) on the Reservoir Dogs (1992) tenth anniversary special edition DVD 2-disc set. The Kazan and Brando stories are apocryphal; Timothy always denied they took place. Also, Tim passed away not on his own birthday (March 11), but on the birthday of one of his heroes, Salvador Dali.

TIMOTHY (William) CAREY (1929-1994)

A lanky, saturnine character actor most famous for his work with Stanley Kubrick in PATHS OF GLORY… and most infamous for being the only man director Elia Kazan ever physically attacked on-set. Marlon Brando stabbed Carey with a pen on the set of ONE-EYED JACKS. John Cassavetes, who cast Carey in THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE, declared that the actor had “the brilliance of Eisenstein” – after Carey put Cassavetes in a padded suit and turned an attack dog loose on him, during the actor/director’s first visit to his home.

Carey’s six-foot-five stature and laconic demeanor served him well in a number of tough-guy and character bits, and he later become a television regular on such shows as MANNIX, BARETTA, ELLERY QUEEN and CHiPS. He was apprehended scaling the fence at 20th Century-Fox in full armor, just to audition for PRINCE VALIANT, and later faked his own kidnapping while in Germany, during the shooting of PATHS OF GLORY.

His magnum opus was THE WORLD’S GREATEST SINNER (1962) – made nearly single-handedly over three years and released in 1962. Carey wrote the story of an insurance salesman who goes into politics and develops a God complex, then directed and starred. It featured a score by iconoclastic genius Frank Zappa. A second feature, TWEET’S LADIES OF PASADENA, remained in production from 1972 onward (Carey turned down a role in THE GODFATHER to work on it), but was never completed.

Carey also appeared in Kubrick’s THE KILLING, EAST OF EDEN, CRIME WAVE, and THE OUTFIT.

He died of a stroke on his own birthday, May 11, 1994.

Cassavetes directing Tim in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)

Pic of the Day: “The Outfit” revisited

Posted by Marisa on

Today we take another look at John Flynn‘s The Outfit (1973). Ill-tempered thug Jake Menner is not too happy about Earl Macklin (Robert Duvall) interrupting his card game. I am not 100% certain who the actor sitting next to Timothy is.

Many of Tim’s previous co-stars appear in this great film, including Robert Ryan, Elisha Cook Jr., Marie Windsor, Tom Reese, Roland LaStarza, Emile Meyer, and Roy Jenson. Flynn also directed the cult favorite Rolling Thunder (1977), the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s short-lived film distribution company.

Video of the Week: “The Outfit” trailer

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Our video for this week is the trailer for John Flynn‘s The Outfit (1973), the gritty crime drama and tribute to the great noir films of the past. Timothy’s nasty thug Jake Menner gets some quality screen time here.

If you haven’t seen this film yet, it’s finally been released on DVD, so you have no excuse. Get out there and see it today!

Pic of the Day: “The Boy and the Pirates” revisited

Posted by Marisa on

It’s my birthday! That means I get to be totally self-indulgent and post one of my absolute favorite pics of Timothy for no other reason than I think it’s smoking hot. So here he is as Morgan the ill-tempered pirate in Bert I. Gordon‘s The Boy and the Pirates (1960). I posted this one last year, but does it ever bear repeating. Holy jeepers wow.

The Boy and the Pirates

My sweet husband got me another incredible Tim-themed present – a ginormous three-sheet movie poster for The Outfit (1973)! I’m telling you, this thing is huge – we may have to build it its own room. Anyway, thank you for indulging me in this shameless fangirl moment. You guys are the best.

Pic of the Day: “The Outfit” revisited

Posted by Marisa on

Inspired by the awesome folks at the Fans of Timothy Carey group on Facebook, today’s pic takes another look at The Outfit (1973), directed by John Flynn (Rolling Thunder [1977]). I am particularly digging everyone’s color-coordinated outfits here.

This is a great film that recalls the film noir classics of the past and gathers together many of its icons – not only Tim is here, but also Robert Ryan, Elisha Cook, Jr., Marie Windsor, and Jane Greer. There’s even a cameo by the great jazz chanteuse Anita O’Day. Don’t miss this one!